ITANAGAR, 6 Nov: Over 40 per cent voting was recorded in Arunachal Pradesh on Monday during the bypolls for electing five gram panchayat members (GPM) and one zilla parishad member (ZPM), a senior official at the State Election Commission (SEC) said here.
The voting, which began at 7 in the morning and ended at 4 PM, was peaceful without any report of law and order problems, he said.
The voting percentage might go high as reports from two polling centres are yet to be compiled, SEC Secretary Taru Talo informed.
Out of the total 54 vacancies of gram panchayat constituencies and two vacant seats in two zilla parishad constituencies spread over 23 districts of the state, elections were held for one ZPM and 5 GPM seats after a ZPM and 49 GPMs were declared uncontested after their last date of withdrawal of nomination papers on 21 October, Talo informed.
There are a total 3,788 registered voters, including 2,015 females, for the five GPM seats and one ZPM seat, spreading over five districts, including Anjaw, Lower Dibang Valley, Shi-Yomi, Lower Siang and Papum Pare, where polling was conducted on Monday.
The seats had fallen vacant due to various reasons, including death and resignation from the posts, the secretary said.
Arunachal has a total of 25 zilla parishads with 242 constituencies and 2,115 gram panchayats with 8,145 seats.
Elections to 40 gram panchayat seats and one zilla parishad in Vijaynagar administrative subdivision in Changlang district, however, were kept pending due to law and order and other administrative issues, State Election Commissioner Rinchin Tashi had told reporters earlier.
“As per report of the district election officer, circumstances are not conducive for holding elections at Vijaynagar,” the SEC had said.
Counting of votes will be held on 8 November.
The ruling BJP has won 37 GPM and one ZPM seats uncontested, while opposition Congress won in five seats unopposed, followed by independents in six seats and the National’s People Party in one seat.
The state assembly had on 15 March, 2018 passed the Arunachal Pradesh Panchayati Raj (Amendment) Bill to do away with the anchal samiti – the intermediate level of the three-tier panchayati raj system – and set up a two-tier system in the state.
This was done following the 73rd amendment of the Constitution that enables a state having less than 20 lakh population not to have the intermediate level.
Arunachal has a population of 13.84 lakhs.
The last panchayat elections in the state were held in December 2020 and by-elections was held in July 2022 for one zilla parishad and 130 gram panchayat seats, respectively. (PTI)
